The changing face of data insight - And its relationship to brand marketing

Abstract

Brand advertising is suffering as a result of social networking on the Internet. This is true both of its speed of reaction and its ubiquity. This process is not helped by the fact that service providers are themselves served by a range of different companies and disciplines, each of which brings slightly different emphases to the equation. These include creative and media agencies, Digital/Direct/Customer Relationship Marketing agencies, specialist social media support boutiques, consultancies and technology vendors. The solution is likely to be a far more collaborative future, in which the various skills from Data Analytics, Planning and Creative work together in new geometries within a range of support agencies. Traditional account manager-led strategy is likely to reduce: so, too, is hard data-based analytics, to be replaced by a combination of insight-based analysis backed by data and informed by creative principles. The role of social communities built in online worlds is likely to grow as well. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.